Lighted footwear

ABSTRACT

A display apparatus for lighted footwear, having a spring switch, a battery-powered integrated circuit sealingly encapsulated, a plurality of illuminators, and a wiring harness connecting the illuminators to points of the integrated circuit, the integrated circuit being configured for activating the illuminators in a sequential pattern that can include repeated activation cycles when the spring switch is subjected to an effective acceleration. The display apparatus preferably includes the battery being sealingly encapsulated together with the spring switch and the integrated circuit; an ON/OFF switch can be included for selectively producing a deep sleep state of the integrated circuit that is unresponsive to the spring switch. Also disclosed is footwear incorporating the display apparatus, wherein the encapsulated enclosure is located within a sole heel portion of the shoe, and the illuminators are distributed on the footwear for external view.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present Application is a continuation of pending U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 14/101,108 titled “Lighted Footwear,” filed Dec. 9,2013, which is a divisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No.13/932,976 titled “Lighted Footwear,” filed Jul. 1, 2013, now U.S. Pat.No. 8,641,220 issued on Feb. 4, 2014, the contents of which areincorporated in this disclosure by reference in their entirety.

BACKGROUND

The present invention relates to illuminated devices, and moreparticularly to illuminated footwear such as shoes, slippers, andsandals.

Illuminated shoes and other forms of lighted footwear are known. See,for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,052,131 to Rondini, U.S. Pat. No.5,500,635 to Mott, U.S. Pat. No. 5,821,858 to Stone, and U.S. Pat. No.5,879,069 to Chien. The Rondini patent discloses a pressure switchlocated in the heel portion of a sandal for activating a timer forflashing LEDs located in straps of the sandal when the sandal is worn.The Mott patent discloses a piezoelectric sensor molded within a shoesole for triggering a lighting circuit that can include amicroprocessor. The Stone patent discloses a counter circuit and logicgated for sequentially illuminating LEDs upon activation of a pressureswitch located in an insole. The Chien patent discloses the use ofelectro-illuminated strips incorporated in a lace or strap.

While the prior art does exhibit a variety of decorative features it isbelieved that none is entirely satisfactory, having one or more of thefollowing disadvantages:

They are unreliable in that piezoelectric sensors located in soleregions subject to flexing can become degraded or inoperative over time,and conventional pressure switches can stick in an open or closedcondition;

They are unreliable in that sensitive components are not sufficientlyprotected from moisture, etc.;

They exhibit excessive power consumption; and

They fail to present a desired level of attractiveness.

Thus there is a need for improved illuminated footwear that overcomes atleast some of the above disadvantages.

SUMMARY

The present invention meets this need by providing footwear having anencapsulated integrated circuit module that incorporates an inertiaswitch for activating the integrated circuit from a deep sleep statethereby to drive an array of illuminators that are variouslyincorporated in the footwear. In one aspect of the invention, a displayapparatus includes an encapsulated circuit module enclosing an inertiaswitch including a stationary element and an elastic element, theelements being electrically conductive and making contact when theswitch is subjected to an effective acceleration, the module alsoenclosing a battery-powered logic circuit electrically connected to theinertia switch, and an end portion of a wiring harness that incorporatesa plurality of illuminators, the harness connecting the illuminators toplural points of the logic circuit.

Preferably the activation sequence includes a repeated plurality ofactivation cycles, successive activation cycles being spaced by aninter-cycle rest interval. Further preferably, the activation sequencehas a single pair only of the activation cycles. Preferably at leastsome of the illuminators are flashed sequentially at least once in eachactivation cycle. Further, the sequential flashings can be spaced by anintra-cycle interval, the intra-cycle interval being shorter than theinter-cycle rest interval.

The logic circuit of the display apparatus is preferably a CMOSintegrated circuit. Preferably an ON/OFF switch is connected to thelogic circuit for selectively producing a deep sleep state in which thelogic circuit is unresponsive to the inertia switch. The CMOSintegrated. circuit can include a control switch and a clock circuit,the control switch being connected to the inertia switch and the clockcircuit, the clock circuit being connected to the ON/OFF switch, thedeep sleep state being produced by the clock circuit being disabled inresponse to operation of the ON/OFF switch. Preferably the ON/OFF switchmakes momentary contact, the deep sleep state being entered and exitedin response to alternate activations of the ON/OFF switch.

Preferably the battery is sealingly encapsulated together with the logiccircuit in the enclosure. Alternatively, a rechargeable battery modulepowers the logic circuit, and the display apparatus can further includea protective charging circuit.

In another aspect of the invention, lighted footwear includes thedisplay apparatus in a footwear structure including a sole having toeand heel portions, and an upper for confining a wearer's foot on thesole, wherein the encapsulated enclosure is located within the heelportion of the sole, and the illuminators are distributed on thefootwear structure for external view. The upper can have a closure inthe form of a fastening strap, at least some of the illuminators beinglocated on the fastening strap.

Preferably an ON/OFF switch is connected through the wiring harness tothe logic circuit, the ON/OFF switch being located on the upper forselectively blocking the activation sequence. Preferably the CMOSintegrated circuit includes a control switch and a clock circuit, thecontrol switch being connected to the inertia switch and the clockcircuit, the clock circuit being connected to the ON/OFF switch, thedeep sleep state being produced by the clock circuit being disabled inresponse to operation of the ON/OFF switch. Preferably the ON/OFF switchmakes momentary contact, the deep sleep state being entered and exitedin response to alternate activations of the ON/OFF switch.

When the display apparatus includes the rechargeable battery module, theshoe can further include the protective charging circuit, with thecharging circuit being located in the sole or in a fastening strap ofthe shoe.

DRAWINGS

These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the presentinvention will become better understood with reference to the followingdescription, appended claims, and accompanying drawings, where:

FIG. 1 is a side perspective view of a shoe incorporating the presentinvention;

FIG. 2 is a side perspective phantom view showing the shoe of FIG. 1 infurther detail;

FIG. 3 is a perspective detail view a circuit module within region 3 ofFIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is an electrical schematic of a display apparatus incorporatingthe circuit module of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is an electrical schematic showing an alternative configurationof the display apparatus of FIG. 4 as implemented in the shoe of FIGS. 1and 2;

FIG. 6 is a block diagram of an integrated circuit portion of thecircuit module of FIG. 3;

FIG. 7 is a diagrammatic side view showing an alternative configurationof the shoe of FIGS. 1 and 2;

FIG. 8 is a front perspective view of the shoe of FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is an elevational perspective detail view showing a heel portionof another alternative configuration of the shoe of FIGS. 1 and 2;

FIG. 10 is a side perspective view showing a further alternativeconfiguration of the shoe of FIGS. 1 and 2;

FIG. 11 is a plan view of a printed circuit strip within region 11 ofFIG. 2;

FIG. 12 is a plan view as in FIG. 11, showing a printed circuitproviding a triangular illumination pattern;

FIG. 13 is a plan view as in Fig, 11, showing a printed circuitproviding an elliptical illumination pattern;

FIG. 14 is a timing diagram of a display sequence according to thepresent invention;

FIG. 15 is an electrical schematic showing another alternativeconfiguration of the display apparatus of FIG. 4;

FIG. 16 is a timing diagram as in FIG. 14, showing an alternativedisplay sequence as produced by the display apparatus of FIG. 15;

FIG. 17 is a side perspective view as in FIG. 1, showing a furtheralternative configuration of the shoe; and

FIG. 18 is a side perspective view showing an alternative configurationof the shoe of FIG. 17.

DESCRIPTION

The present invention is directed to a display apparatus having flashingilluminators, and footwear incorporating the display apparatus, Withreference to FIGS. 1 and 2 of the drawings, a shoe 10 includes as mainstructural elements a sole 12 having a toe portion 14 and a heel portion16, and an upper 18 including a pair of fastening straps, respectivelydesignated first strap 20 and second strap 22.

According to the present invention the shoe 10 also incorporates adisplay apparatus 24 comprising a rigidly sealingly encapsulated circuitmodule 26 enclosed within the heel portion of the sole 12, a pluralityof illuminators 28, and a wiring harness 30 electrically connecting theilluminators 28 to the circuit module 26, the harness 30 being depictedby dashed lines in FIG. 1. Further, the illuminators 28 can include aplurality of sole illuminators 32 and an additional plurality of strapilluminators 34. It will be understood that the harness 30 can includeindividual pairs of conductors connecting each of the illuminators 28 tothe circuit module 26, and portions of at least some of the conductorscan be bundled together using suitable sleeving or ties (not shown). Asfurther described below with reference to FIG. 14, the display apparatus24 is configured for flashing the illuminators in an activation sequencethat can include a repeated plurality of activation cycles, there beingpreferably two such activation cycles in the sequence for enhancedattractiveness of the illuminated display.

As further shown in FIG. 2, the harness 30 can include a printed circuitstrip 36 that extends within the fastening strap 20 for connecting thestrap illuminators 32, and a miniature electrical connector 38 can beinterposed in conductors of the harness that extend between the circuitstrip 36 and the circuit module 26 the connector 38 facilitatingmanufacture and assembly of the shoe 10.

With further reference to FIG. 3, the circuit module 26 includes acircuit board 40, an inertia switch 42, and a battery 44, the componentsof the circuit module being encapsulated within a rigid potting material46. An exemplary implementation of the inertia switch 42 is a springswitch that is enclosed within a transparent housing 48, beingcommercially available as Model SW-28020P from Yueqing XietongElectronics Co., Ltd. of Yueqing City, Zhejiang, China. The housing 48advantageously provides clearance for the spring switch within thepotting material 46. The battery can be a commonly available CR2032 LiMnbutton battery, Which provides 210 ma/A at 3 volts.

With further reference to FIG. 4, a display apparatus 23 includes alogic circuit 50 having separate electrical connections to a plurality(4) of the illuminators 28, the illuminators being light-emitting diodes(LEDs), the illuminators also having a common connection to the battery44, the battery also powering the logic circuit 50, the logic circuitbeing preferably in the form of a CMOS integrated circuit. The inertiaswitch 42 is connected to a trigger input of the logic circuit and,optionally, an ON/OFF switch 52 is connected to a corresponding input ofthe logic circuit 50. When present, the ON/OFF switch 52 selectivelyblocks initiation of the activation sequence. Preferably the ON/OFFswitch is configured as a momentary push-button, alternate operations ofthe switch producing a “deep sleep” condition of the logic circuit 50that is unresponsive to the inertia switch 42. The physical arrangementis preferably as shown and described above in connection with FIG. 3,the inertia switch 42, the battery 44, and the logic circuit 50 beingconnected through the circuit board 40, the logic circuit 50 beingpackaged as a surface-mount device.

With further reference to FIG. 5, the display apparatus 24 of FIG. 2 isconfigured much like that of FIG. 4, except that there are seven of theilluminators 28, three of them being connected to separate outputs ofthe logic circuit 50 as in FIG. 4 and providing the sole illuminators32, four of them being connected in parallel to a single output of thelogic circuit 50 and providing the strap illuminators 34.

With further reference to FIG. 6, an exemplary and preferredimplementation of the logic circuit 50 includes a clock 54 that isenabled by the ON/OFF switch 52, the clock feeding a control switch 56that produces a control signal 58 in response to the inertia switch 42conditionally when the clock is enabled. A pseudo-random numbergenerator 60 feeds a buffer 62, the buffer being responsive to thecontrol signal 58 for activating a delay timer 64 with a random number66, the timer in turn feeding an inverter 68 that activates a lightsequence generator 70 for driving the illuminators 28. The batteryprovides a VDD voltage of between 2.2 and 5 volts to the clock, thecontrol switch, the pseudo-random number generator, the buffer, thedelay timer, the inverter, and the sequence generator. The sequencegenerator provides a common voltage V to the illuminators, there beingfive separate generator outputs designated L1, L2, L3, L4, and L5 forindependently pulsing the illuminators 28. Four of the illuminators 28are shown in FIG. 6, corresponding to the circuit diagram of FIG. 4, theoutput L5 being unused. Preferably the sequence generator 70 isprogrammable for utilizing a single integrated circuit configuration toprovide a variety of predetermined activation sequences. To this end,the sequence generator is provided with three program inputs designatedK1, K2, and K3. Using suitable jumper connections 72, as many as eightdifferent activation sequences can be provided in a single configurationof the sequence generator. The flashing can be simultaneous orsequential.

With further reference to FIGS. 7 and 8, an alternative configuration ofthe shoe, designated 10′, incorporates the optional but preferred ON/OFFswitch 52 (not shown) within the first strap 20, the switch being hiddenby a flexible cover 74. Further, counterparts of the strap illuminators34 are implemented as triangular pattern illuminators 76 as furtherdescribed below in connection with FIG. 13. In addition, the shoe 10′ isprovided with markings simulating the head of a fearsome carnivore. Inparticular, opposite sides of the upper 18 have teeth markings 78 andlip markings 80. This motif is enhanced by the inclusion of a pair ofoppositely disposed eye illuminators 82 that are located withinrespective eye markings 84 forward of the second strap 22. Additionally,an elongate counterpart of the triangular pattern illuminator,designated 86, is spaced below the lip marking 80 on an outside portionof the upper 18, and a diamond pattern illuminator 88 is spacedrearwardly of the illuminator 86 above the heel portion 16 of the sole12.

With further reference to FIG. 9, another alternative configuration ofthe shoe, designated 10″, incorporates counterparts of the soleilluminators 34, being implemented as elliptical pattern illuminators 90that are spaced along the heel portion 16 of the outsole 12, theilluminators 90 being further described below in connection with FIG.12. Also, the ON/OFF switch 52 (not shown) is located under acounterpart of the flexible cover 74 on the upper 18, above theilluminators 84.

With further reference to FIG. 10, a further alternative configurationof the shoe, designated 10′41 , has counterparts of the illuminators 28located in a spaced array on the upper 18 below the first strap 20.Counterparts of the elongate triangular illuminator 86 and the diamondpattern illuminator 88 can be provided on the shoe 10″′.

With further reference to FIG. 11, a rectangular flexible circuit board92 that can be used in the flexible circuit strip 36 of FIG. 2 includesa pair of printed circuit traces, designated positive trace 94 andnegative trace 95, the traces defining respective solder pads 96 and 97for external wiring, and mounting pad patterns 98 for four surface-mountLEDs. The pad patterns 98 are advantageously configured for enhancedheat dissipation from the LEDs to be mounted thereon. In particular, thepositive trace 94 has respective semicircular enlargements 100 formingone side of each pad pattern, and the negative trace 95 has oppositelyextending semicircular enlargements 101, and an inwardly projectingminor enlargement 102 extending to directly under where the LED isintended to be mounted. The circuit board preferably includes aprotective covering 104 having openings 105 and 106 for exposing thesolder pads 96 and 97, and the pad patterns 98, the openings beingdepicted by broken lines in FIG. 11. Preferably the covering includes asuitable adhesive and an electrically conductive layer that is isolatedfrom the traces 94 and 95 to provide electromagnetic shielding.

FIG. 12 shows a circuit module 110 for providing the triangularilluminators of the shoe 10′ of FIGS. 7 and 8, including a printedcircuit board 112 and a triangularly spaced array of surface-mount LEDs114. A common trace 115 includes a common solder pad 116 and isconnected to one side of each LED. Individual traces 117 connectopposite sides of the LEDs to corresponding solder pads 118. Acounterpart of the protective covering 104 has counterparts of theopenings 105 and 106 for exposing the solder pads 116 and 118, and padpatterns for the LEDs 114, the openings being depicted by broken linesas in FIG. 11.

FIG. 13 shows a circuit module 120 for providing the ellipticalilluminators of the shoe 10″ of FIG. 9, including a printed circuitboard 122 and another spaced array of surface-mount LEDs 114. A commontrace 125 includes a common solder pad 126 and is connected to one sideof each LED. Individual traces 127 connect opposite sides of the LEDs tocorresponding solder pads 128. As in the circuit module 110 of FIG. 12,a counterpart of the protective covering 104 includes counterparts ofthe openings 105 and 106 for exposing the solder pads 126 and 128, andpad patterns for the LEDs 114,

With further reference to FIG. 14, the display apparatus 24 is operativefor producing a display sequence 130 in which successive activations ofthe inertia switch 42 flash the illuminators 28 in timed activationsequences S, each such sequence including a plurality of preferably twoactivation cycles C. In each activation cycle a first subset of theilluminators, such as one or more of the illuminators 28 being connectedto the output L1 of the light sequence generator 70 of the logic circuit50, is flashed for a pulse duration P1. Following a first delay D1 fromthe beginning of the cycle a second subset of the illuminators beingconnected to the output L2 of the generator 70 is similarly flashed fora pulse duration P2. Following an inter-cycle rest interval R, the cycleC is repeated, there being a second delay D2 between the onset of theone cycle C and that of a next cycle. In FIG. 14 the repeated cycle hasthe illuminator(s) connected to the output L1 being flashed for a pulseduration P3, and similarly for the output L2, a pulse duration P4.Typically each of the pulse durations is for the same amount of time,such as 0.24 ms, with delays between pulses being, for example, 0.14 ms.In FIG. 14, P1, P2, P3, and P4 would each be 0.24 ms, D1 would be 0.38ms, etc. Of course it will be understood that the durations may bedifferent if desired. As indicated above, there are preferably two onlyof the cycles C in each activation sequence; further, it is preferredthat a new activation sequence is prevented until after a third delay D3from the onset of a prior sequence, the third delay D3 being greaterthan the sum of the first delay D1, the second delay D2, and the pulseduration P4.

With further reference to FIG. 15, another configuration of the displayapparatus, designated 25, is configured much like that of FIG. 5, exceptthat of the seven of the illuminators 28, three of them are connected inparallel to a single output of the logic circuit 50 and providing thestrap illuminators 34, four of them being connected in parallel to asingle output of the logic circuit 50 and providing the soleilluminators 32. It will be understood that the connections to the soleand strap illuminators 32 and 34 can be reversed such that the soleilluminators operate in unison whereas the strap illuminators 34 areindependently activated.

FIG. 16 is an exemplary timing diagram of the display apparatus 25 ofFIG. 15, having a counterpart of the display sequence, designated 130′.In each activation cycle C of the sequence 130′ there are two pulsesfrom output L1, followed, sequentially, by a pulse from each of theoutputs L2, 13, L4, and L5, respectively, the two activation cycles Cbeing separated by a counterpart of the inter-cycle rest interval R.

With further reference to FIG. 17, another alternative configuration ofthe shoe, designated 11, has a pair of rechargeable battery cells,collectively designated 44′ substituted for the battery 44. In theexemplary configuration shown in FIG. 17, the rechargeable battery cells44′ are located within the heel portion 16 but external to the circuitmodule 26. A protective charging circuit 132 for the rechargeable cells44′ is located in the sole 12, and a charging plug 134 for powering thecharging circuit is located at an edge portion of the sole 12. Arechargeable lithium polymer battery pack providing 3.7 Volts at 500 mAsuitable for providing the rechargeable battery cells 44′ is commonlyavailable from a variety of sources. Similarly, protective chargingcircuits for these rechargeable battery packs are also available. Thecharging plug 134 can be configured for receiving a mini-USB cable.

With further reference to FIG. 18, yet another alternative configurationof the shoe, designated 11′, has a counterpart of the charging circuit,designated 132′, located within the second fastening strap 22 of theshoe. Preferably the charging circuit 132′ incorporates flexiblecircuitry permitting physical flexing of the second fastening strap 22.It will be understood that the placement of the rechargeable batterycells 44′, as well as the charging circuit 132 or 132′ and the chargingplug 134 may be dictated by the structural configuration of the shoe.

Although the present invention has been described in considerable detailwith reference to certain preferred versions thereof, other versions arepossible. For example, the charging plug can transmit signals foraltering the display sequence, and the protective charging circuit canbe located externally of the shoe. Therefore, the spirit and scope ofthe appended claims should not necessarily be limited to the preferredversions contained herein.

What is claimed is:
 1. A display apparatus comprising: a. a circuitmodule comprising: i. an inertia switch comprising a stationary elementand an elastic element, the elements being electrically conductive andmaking contact when the inertia switch is subjected to an effectiveacceleration; ii. a logic circuit electrically connected to the inertiaswitch; iii. a battery for powering the integrated circuit; and iv. anenclosure sealingly encapsulating the inertia switch and the logiccircuit b. a plurality of illuminators; and c. a wiring harnessconnected to the illuminators outside the enclosure and having an endportion sealingly extending into the enclosure and connecting theilluminators to plural points of the logic circuit, the logic circuitbeing configured for activating the illuminators in a predeterminedactivation sequence upon the inertia switch being subjected to theeffective acceleration, the activation sequence comprising a repeatedplurality of activation cycles, successive activation cycles beingspaced by an inter-cycle rest interval.
 2. The display apparatus ofclaim 1, the activation sequence having a single pair only of theactivation cycles.
 3. The display apparatus of claim 1, wherein at leastsome of the illuminators are flashed sequentially at least once in eachactivation cycle, and the sequential flashings are spaced by anintra-cycle interval, the intra-cycle interval being Shorter than theinter-cycle rest interval.
 4. The display apparatus of claim 1, whereinthe logic circuit comprises a CMOS integrated circuit.
 5. The displayapparatus of claim 4, further comprising an ON/OFF switch connected tothe logic circuit for selectively producing a deep sleep state in whichthe logic circuit is unresponsive to the inertia switch.
 6. The displayapparatus of claim 5, wherein the CMOS integrated circuit comprises acontrol switch and a clock circuit, the control switch being connectedto the inertia switch and the clock circuit, the clock circuit beingconnected to the ON/OFF switch, the deep sleep state being produced bythe clock circuit being disabled in response to operation of the ON/OFFswitch.
 7. The display apparatus of claim 5, wherein the ON/OFF switchmakes momentary contact, the deep sleep state being entered and exitedin response to alternate activations of the ON/OFF switch.
 8. Thedisplay apparatus of claim 1 wherein the battery is sealinglyencapsulated within the enclosure.
 9. The display apparatus of claim 1wherein the battery comprises a rechargeable battery module.
 10. Thedisplay apparatus of claim 9, further comprising a protective chargingcircuit connected to the battery module.
 11. Lighted footwear,comprising: a. footwear structure comprising a sole having toe and heelportions, and an upper for confining a wearer's foot on the sole; and b.the display apparatus of claim 1, wherein: i. the encapsulated enclosureis located within the heel portion of the sole; and ii. the illuminatorsare distributed on the footwear structure for external view.
 12. Thelighted footwear of claim 11, wherein the upper comprises a closure inthe form of a fastening strap, at least some of the illuminators beinglocated on the fastening strap.
 13. The lighted footwear of claim 11,further comprising an ON/OFF switch connected through the wiring harnessto the logic circuit, the ON/OFF switch being located on the upper forselectively blocking the activation sequence.
 14. The lighted footwearof claim 11, the activation sequence having a single pair only of theactivation cycles.
 15. The lighted footwear of claim 14, wherein atleast some of the illuminators are flashed sequentially at least once ineach activation cycle.
 16. The lighted footwear of claim 15, wherein thesequential flashings are spaced by an intra-cycle interval, theintra-cycle interval being shorter than the inter-cycle rest interval.17. The lighted footwear of claim 11, wherein the logic circuitcomprises a CMOS integrated circuit.
 18. The lighted footwear of claim17, further comprising an ON/OFF switch connected to the logic circuitfor selectively producing a deep sleep state in which the logic circuitis unresponsive to the inertia switch.
 19. The lighted footwear of claim18, wherein the CMOS integrated circuit comprises a control switch and aclock circuit, the control switch being connected to the inertia switchand the clock circuit, the clock circuit being connected to the ON/OFFswitch, the deep sleep state being produced by the clock circuit beingdisabled in response to operation of the ON/OFF switch.
 20. The lightedfootwear of claim 18, wherein the ON/OFF switch makes momentary contact,the deep sleep state being entered and exited in response to alternateactivations of the ON/OFF switch.
 21. The lighted footwear of claim 11,wherein the battery is sealingly encapsulated within the enclosure. 22.The lighted footwear of claim 11, wherein the battery comprises arechargeable battery module.
 23. The lighted footwear of claim 22,further comprising a protective charging circuit connected to thebattery module.
 24. The lighted footwear of claim 22, wherein thebattery module is located in a heel portion of the sole.
 25. The lightedfootwear of claim 23, wherein the protective charging circuit is locatedwithin the sole of the shoe.
 26. The lighted footwear of claim 23,wherein the protective charging circuit is located in a fastening strapof the shoe.
 27. Lighted footwear, comprising: a. footwear structurecomprising a sole having toe and heel portions, and an upper forconfining a wearer's foot on the sole; b. display apparatus comprising:i. a circuit module comprising an inertia switch comprising a stationaryelement and an elastic element, the elements being electricallyconductive and making contact when the inertia switch is subjected to aneffective acceleration; a CMOS logic circuit electrically connected tothe inertia switch and including a control switch and a clock circuit,the control switch being connected to the inertia switch and the clockcircuit; and a battery within the enclosure for powering the integratedcircuit; and an enclosure sealingly encapsulating the inertia switch,the logic circuit, and the battery; ii. a plurality of illuminators;iii. a wiring harness connected to the illuminators outside theenclosure and having an end portion sealingly extending into theenclosure and connecting the illuminators to plural points of the logiccircuit, the logic circuit being configured for activating theilluminators in a predetermined activation sequence upon the inertiaswitch being subjected to the effective acceleration; and iv. the clockcircuit being connected to an ON/OFF switch, a deep sleep state of theCMOS logic circuit being produced by the clock circuit being disabled inresponse to operation of the ON/OFF switch; and c. wherein: i. theactivation sequence comprises a pair of activation cycles wherein atleast some of the illuminators are flashed sequentially, the activationcycles being spaced by an inter cycle rest interval, the sequentialflashings being spaced by an intra-cycle interval, the intra-cycleinterval being shorter than the inter cycle rest interval; and ii. theilluminators are distributed on the footwear for external view.